If you are stuck in the game, try the AGAE Hints page of my website first
Dink lives with his stepmother in the Twin Springs town. The game begins with a cutscene that makes you understand something strange and dangerous is going on... Then the evil woman spills her dead water and sends Dink for it to the forest.
Twin Springs
Leave the house and save the game (to the right of the house there is partly hidden save machine). Then go left and north. It's easy: the forest is to the north of town (there is a sign and some pillbugs). The witch lives to the right. There are two springs. You may steal the water from one (or both), then take it to step-mom, but better go inside and ask the woman. She tells you the story, gives fireball magic and the scroll (you may read it by using the scroll. Later in the game there will be several pages to pick from).
There is a secret in her house (enter the fireplace). Leaving there, take water from both springs. The dead water is not so useless. If you are killed it heals you (gives 20 hitpoints). So you have one chance not to die if there is no time to heal yourself.
The scroll is a letter from your grandfather, the magician. He locked the Evil Incarnate, immortal enemy, in the stone monument in some hidden underground place, but now there is a way to banish him from this world for 7000 years - as good as eternity... But he tries to get free, and to banish him he must be free!
So you must find the place and the scrolls that were given to different people to keep... Talk to the priest. He will tell you to get the holy weapons and magic in the Temple of Light. Now you know that Drink's step-mom is the enemy. Don't go to her until you level-up once or twice. Visit the hermit (Hank) - go to the right, there will be slayer and 3 boncas. Hank will give you the claw sword (father left it for Dink). You may take some gold from his chest.
Talk to the trees on the screen with a slayer, kill the big pig that digs the tree's roots, talk to the tree. It heals you and gives you the tree-pass.
Explore the village. There are people you can talk to, and to the south of the church there is a tree with a secret. You may buy experience there from an old Loony.
To the north-west of the town there is a place with a lot of gray boncas. You may need an elixir - buy it. To the left of the gray boncas there is the rock partly hidden by trees. You can get to it only by arming the tree-pass and talking to the pine-tree. Then move the rock (you must have attack higher than 3 and arm the fist) from the left and go into the cave. Kill bonca and gather the bounty. To the north of the save machine there are some gray boncas. A good source of gold and experience. The bridge is closed until later.
Save the game then go to the step-mom. She is tough. Kill her and take the shiny from the table. Now you have mother's magic mirror and locket. Don't sell them! Save the game and cross the bridge. Now it is possible.
Vaulthill
You are in the Vaulthill town. As you may know already, they have a problem: monsters invaded their food stores in the underground caves. The town is to the left, don't go south yet. A woman will ask you to find her daughter who went to the forest. The girl is to the south of town in the hut. When you find her she gives you a scroll. You may read any of your scrolls using the one in your inventory. They all are in one slot.
There are some secrets there: burn the tree with 2 boncas - there is a lantern, the scroll, a letter, and the map. It shows only part of the world. Press M to see where you are. Near the fenced slayer (to the south of the fence) there is a rock. When you enter that screen you may meet a man who sells speed-boots for 4000 gold. Exactly what you get for clearing the vaults.
The vaults entrance is in one of the houses. Near it there is a fountain (the save machine). Kill boncas and pillbugs and collect the money (talk to the man in the house). The barman in this town will cook you a healing dinner. Now buy the speed-boots. If the man is not there, leave the screen and return a couple of times. Go to the right, then hit the fence in the corner. One of the sections disappears and you may kill slayers, then go left and use the tree-pass to get into the ring of trees for a megapotion. Also you may find a cave (there is a magic potion near the entrance. There is a soldier who talks to you and gives defense).
Now you may follow the road to the east to the
Sunny Beach
There are some strange characters in this town. The local smith has water instead of fire and blames the wizard living nearby (the "treasure hut" on your map). Talk to the wizard and he will give you a scroll and tell how to fix the fire for the smith (with fireball, of course). The smith will give you axes - useful and free.
The library is full of slimes. The slime mom is big and fast. Kill them and find the scroll in the chest. It is water magic scroll, one of the necessary ones. The librarian will give you one more.
There is a boatman in one of the houses. He rows in the house because he's afraid of water. Tell him (a word of consolation), and he will tell you of the secret way to the island just to the south of town. He put the stones there. The stones are to the farthest right of the save machine, on the beach near pine trees. Go south and collect a lot of everything, including the Hellfire scroll.
The local "healer" makes zombies. Kill them using Live water.
In one of the houses you meet a programmer apparently dinking. Talk to him. He eventually gives you a CD to give the other programmer. Don't sell the disk!
Explore the place for some potions and gold, test the axes on slayers, then follow the road to
The Fountress
The only useful character there is the priest. He has a scroll. Talk to the people. Some of them are funny. Some talk to you about the disappearance of goblins, their village nearby is deserted. Cross any other bridge. You may explore the goblin village now, but the only goblin you may meet is to the west of the village. There is a sign that tells you "don't go there", if you do - there is a slayer hard to kill (with no great bonus). Well, you were told.
Now you may go to the east or to the south. Better try south first.
The Castle
The Castle is King's residence. You may try to learn something about your father in the castle. Visit all the houses. The library is important: there in one of the books you may read is the second map. It shows more.
The man near the save machine sells the fruit. They are magical and the prices are high. Explore the forest to the south of town.
Murom Forest
There is a row of dark pine trees (west side of forest), one tree is lighter. Arm the tree-pass and talk to it to get into the forest. In the middle of it there is a house. Enter it and talk to the man. He will tell he doesn't need the CD and you may keep it. Thank him, and he will tell you to use it. Now the disk has a complex function: randomly it will heal you, play music or balance your stats (to the highest).
To the east of the forest there is a hunting place - a lot of monsters for you to kill, and the speed-boots in the chest if you don't have them yet.
Exit the forest, then visit a secret island far to the south-west. The island is not on the map, the shallow water is marked on the beach. By the way there you will see the Refuge village. They are strange people. If you use the water magic on their dry lake they will try to kill you, so you must kill them. Better leave them be. Return to the main road and visit the next town to the east.
The Turtle Beach
The most interesting place in this town is the hotel. The price is high, but you may get a hint there. The forests are invaded by slayers, there you may find some potions and big hearts. To the east of the town is the lake and the wilderness, where you may find the way to the Temple of Light. If you go far to the east you find the hermit. He will give you the light sword, the scroll and the map with the Temple of Light on it.
It is in the agae\tiles\map3.bmp file. Too big to place here.
The Temple of Light
Now you will find it easily. Just go to the edge of the forest to the north of the Temple where it comes to the water. Pass between the trees and go right, then down (you will see the walls on the hill). The entrance is hidden, but not completely. There is no maze, but be sure to collect the potions (go far south, kill the slayers). Enter the Temple (any of the doors), go to the right. Talk to the wizard and he will tell you need adamant ore to forge the weapons and magic 25 to get the Rainbow magic. So you must find the adamant and raise your magic.
Believe me, it's worth getting.
The Blackhill
This is the miners' town. You may have visited it later, but they won't let you in their caves. Now you may enter the caves by moving a big rock (don't forget to arm the fist), to clear them of the never-seen monsters. The caves are loaded with potions (a good way to level-up), the horror alive is a couple of dragons, but they have no adamant there. The major sends you to find goblins. There are some secrets to the west of town (cross the bridge to get there) and to the north-east. If you don't have a lantern, you must get the only one in the town. The man lives near the mines and will send you to the major for the order, because he wants to get all the slayer meet there.
Now it's time to go north, to the goblin village. You may explore the northern part of the map. A lot of secrets there. But the goal is -
The Goblin Village
To the west of the deserted goblin village you will meet a goblin. Talk to him and he will activate the warp. It is the pole. Warp to the secret goblin place. Talk to the chief, he will help you if you restore their water supply. The lake to the west is dry. Use the water magic on the lake. It will be filled. Then go talk to the chief. He will give you the adamant and the scroll. Teleport back and go to the Temple. Be sure you have no less than 25 of magic.
Pages
Before proceeding you may check the pages you have. There are 9 pages. You must have #3,4,5,6 and 8. Other ones are good to have, but not necessary. Here are places where they are:
- Coriolis The witch in the forest (Twin Springs)
- Live & Dead water The girl in the forest
- Unlocking
spell - 1 Old hermit near Temple (north-east, near the cliffs) * Unlocking spell - 2 Priest in Fountress * Unlocking spell - 3 Wizard in the forest (south-west of SunnyBeach, his house is marked "Treasure Hut") * Banishing spell - Goblin chief * Mother's letter - Librarian in SunnyBeach * Water magic - Chest in the Library (same place) * Hellfire magic - Island to the south of SunnyBeach. The boatman in the house may give you directions
The Temple of Light again
The wizard tells you to wait in the library (the room to the left). Just talk to both of men there and go back to him. He will give you the Lightning sword and axe, and Rainbow magic. Right now they are not so powerful. They must be blessed by the Teacher in the Magic Valley. To get there you must "pass the fire".
Enter the fire in the temple. You will be warped to the closed space with a warp machine. Go to it - and you are there. The way back is impossible. Go to the north-east. Save the game. Then explore the place. The way to the west is blocked with fire. Don't try to pass it. Enter the house - the only one you can. Talk to the wizard, then go to the next house. The next wizard will send you to "face the dragon". Not to kill him!
Save the game. Then find the dragon and talk to him. Say "Strange color...", then try not to upset him. He will lift the fire, but don't go west yet! Return to the wizard, talk to him, then go north to the last wizard (Teacher). He is the tall one in the reddish robe. He will bless your weapons and take the magic mirror, so you may return back. Now you may go west.
If you tested your new weapons, you will see the difference. Especially with the magic and sword. Now go west, gather the bonuses on the way and kill everything. Then save the game, flame the pine tree and enter the small cave. Use the Lightning sword to cut the vines and enter
The Maze
The maze is not very complex, just be careful and use the rainbow magic to pass it. Have you read the scrolls? "Hit the head to pass the gate". So look for the stone heads, hit them - and then the gates will be activated, to warp you to the other maze section. The maze is the real bonanza. A lot of monsters.
When you pass 3 gates, there will be 2 dragons in the different-looking cave, then you better save the game and use the big red heart. The creature near the save machine will sell you defense points for your gold. Well, the gold is not needed now, so buy everything you can. Then enter the last cave for the
Final battle
You enter the next cave - and the fence falls behind you. You see the stone with "Dink Smallwood" carved on it. It vibrates, and the deadly cold comes from it... This is the place, for sure. You read the spell - and the boss enters!
The best weapon to kill him is the Lightning sword. It gives Dink the speed as if he armed the speed-boots. The axes are second best choice. With the rainbow magic the battle should not be too hard.
The numbers above the stone show the hitpoints of the boss, so you may see where you are with him.
The boss defeated, there is an explosion - and darkness. Then you find yourself (Dink, that is) with his parents. Short blessing - and you are back in the Magic valley with all 4 wizards (the one from the Temple too). They talk to you, then you go to the warp machine to see the final picture - thanks for playing.
Hope you haven't ultimately spoiled the game for yourself by reading this :)